Accident or Intentional?
by kensi54382
Summary: An accident involving four of Gibbs' team members pushes everyone to the limit.
1. Chapter 1

"Doctor, she's crashing!" called Susie. She was a nurse at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington DC.

Dr Smith looked up at the heart monitor next to him. The numbers that showed the patient's heart beat were rapidly dropping. When she had been brought in, Ziva's heart rate had already been low, only at eighty beats a minute. Now the numbers were showing that the heart rate was at forty beats a minute and still dropping.

"Damn it! We need to finish this surgery. Get me the Heartner," said Dr Smith. He injected the medication into Ziva's chest and then looked at the monitor. The medication seemed to have an effect and Ziva's heart rate was rising again.

Dr Smith returned to his task. Making an incision in Ziva's head, the doctor inserted a tube and let blood and fluid drain out. There was a lot of it. After another ten minutes, Dr Smith removed the tube. He opened the wound a little more and then put in a camera. He looked around Ziva's brain, checking for any further damage that hadn't been caught on the MRI. He didn't find any, so he removed the camera and stitched up the incision. Ziva's heart rate had started to drop again, so Dr Smith decided to stop operating and try to stabilise her. It was hard work. Ziva's body was so badly damaged that it was hard to do anything.

"Susie, get me the defibrillator pads. I don't want to use them but I can't stabilise her and she's crashing again!" called Dr Smith. He wasn't looking forward to facing Gibbs.

"Here you go Doctor," said Susie as she handed him the defibrillator.

During the exchange, Ziva's heart rate had dropped even further. She was now technically dead but the doctor didn't want to give up.

"Shock her!" ordered Dr Smith as a young surgeon prepared to start CPR.

After four attempts, Ziva's heart was beating again but it was not good. The doctor was worried about the stress that her heart was under at that point, trying to supply enough blood to keep Ziva alive. After a quick think, Dr Smith decided that putting Ziva onto a respirator wasn't going to be enough.

"Let's get her onto the life support!" said Dr Smith.

Susie helped him insert the necessary tubes and attach the necessary wires. In five minutes, Ziva was completely covered. An IV tube was running from her right hand and another was running from her right upper arm. Dr Smith ordered the young surgeon to help Susie move Ziva into the ICU and get her settled while he went to speak with Gibbs.

"Agent Gibbs," said Dr Smith. He was exhausted.

"How's Ziva?" asked Gibbs, the worry evident in his voice.

"She's not good. She's critical. We've managed to stabilise her for now. If she makes it through the night, which I seriously doubt, we'll operate again tomorrow. For now, we've done as much as we can without losing her for good. The pressure in her brain is still pretty high but we can't drain any more than we already have without killing her. I can try again if we go back to surgery tomorrow but that's a big if. Ziva's on life support. There's too much stress on her heart and lungs. She isn't able to breathe on her own right now anyway, so there's no point in trying to make her. I've sent her up to the ICU if you want to see her."

"Yes please."

Gibbs followed the doctor to Ziva's room. The sight of his youngest agent scared him. Ziva was covered in tubes and wires. She had a bandage around her head and was on two separate IVs. Gibbs couldn't take it and left the room.

"Can you find out how the rest of my team is?" asked Gibbs.

"Sure. None of them are my patients though. If you want, I can have them transferred to my care after I find out if any of them are in the same unit as Ziva," said Dr Smith.

"That would be great. Except for Tony though. If Dr Pitt is still working here, I would rather Tony be under his care. There are several things I need to explain and I don't think I can do that right now."

"No problem. I'll organise it for you."

Dr Smith watched Gibbs sit in the ICU waiting room before he left.

It had been a long day for Dr Smith. First, he had been called back to work at the end of his shift. He had only been told that a surgeon was needed immediately to deal with an accident victim. Then Ziva had come into the ER, unconscious and injured. She had been taken to the operating rooms immediately. On his first break during Ziva's operation, Dr Smith had found out that Tony, Abby and McGee had also been brought in. It turned out that the four of them had been driving to a restaurant when a car had been driven directly into them at more than three times the speed limit. Ziva had been a front seat passenger and had taken most of the damage. Abby had been behind Ziva and copped about half the damage Ziva had. Tony had been driving and ended up unconscious with a slight head injury while McGee had sustained several broken ribs, a sprained wrist, and a broken leg. He alone of the group had stayed conscious.

Dr Smith was now heading to the reception desk to ask about the rest of Gibbs team. The nurse at the desk told him that McGee was being kept until he could use crutches. He was in room 100 on the first floor. Abby was in the ICU already but the doctor was hopeful that she'd wake up in a few hours. Tony had been taken to the Neurology department and was already under Dr Pitt's care.

Dr Smith thanked the nurse and headed up to the first floor. He had decided to speak with McGee's doctor and see if it would be possible to transfer him to Dr Smith's care.

"Hey Damien, how's Tim McGee?" asked Dr Smith.

"He's alright John. I'm going to check on him now. Do you want to come?" asked Dr Brown.

"Okay. Do you still have a lot of patients?"

"Yes but one more won't hurt." Dr Brown sounded tired.

"Would you like me to take him?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I only have three patients at the moment and two of them are well enough to only need me once or twice a day."

"What about the third?"

"She's in the ICU. Tim's her friend."

"Is that Abby or Ziva?"

"Ziva, why?"

"Tim wants to see them. And Tony too."

"Well, Tony's in Neurology. Abby's in ICU with Ziva. All three are unconscious. Ziva is on life support. She won't even know he's there."

"It can't hurt though. I doubt Tim would endanger his friends."

"Fair enough. Well, I don't mind him seeing Ziva for a while. The other two are not my patients. Abby will be soon, but Tony is staying under Dr Pitt's care for medical reasons."

"Okay, well, you can take McGee but his care pretty much consists of rest for a couple of days."

"Not a problem then."

"Tim, this is Dr Smith. He's looking after Ziva and will have Abby too soon. He's going to take over your care for me and he's agreed to let you visit the girls for a while."

"What about Tony?" asked McGee.

"Tony is not my patient. I can ask his doctor but it's not up to me," said Dr Smith. He left the room and returned ten minutes later with news for McGee. "You can see Tony, but it will only be a few minutes. He's just woken up and needs rest."

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

Abby was worried. Gibbs had just told her about the three agents and she knew that Ziva was hurt a lot. McGee had come to see her an hour ago and Tony had just left. Ziva was still on life support. She was getting worse too.

"Agent Gibbs, we're going to take Ziva in for surgery in half an hour. She made it through the night and we're hoping to be able to repair all the damage to her body today," said Dr Smith. He had forced his boss to let him work even though it was supposed to be his day off.

"She's stable?" asked Gibbs.

"Enough for surgery, yes."

"Alright. She's in good hands then. Can I see her before you go?"

"Of course you can. Does she have any family here?"

"No. The only family she has is in Israel and he doesn't care about her. If he did, he wouldn't have sent her on a mission that was most likely going to kill her. He knew that she wouldn't disobey a direct order when she needed the job. She was held captive for three months by a terrorist and he almost killed Ziva. She was so lost for weeks after we brought her home."

"That's horrible."

Gibbs gave the doctor a small smile and walked into Ziva's room. She was still unconscious and didn't look any different to the previous night. Gibbs held Ziva's hand tightly and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Don't die on us Ziva. We all love you here. The guys and Abby are all awake and they want to make sure that we can all go out to dinner together again. That includes you Ziva. Please fight for us. I know it would be easy to give up right now but I'm quite positive that your mum, sister and Ari wouldn't want you to join them yet. You're too young for that. The doctor's confident that you'll be okay now that you got through the night. You have to pull through Ziva, you have to," whispered Gibbs. He kissed the top of Ziva's head gently.

"Tony, Ziva's back in surgery. Her doctor is confident that she will be okay now that she got through the night," said Gibbs.

"That's good," replied Tony. He was still groggy.

A sudden ringing made both guys jump. Gibbs pulled his phone from his pocket. Looking at the caller ID, he walked out of the room.

"Hey dad," said Gibbs.

"Leroy, I heard about your team. Are they okay?" asked Jackson.

"McGee's going home tomorrow but will be off work for a few weeks. Tony's got a severe concussion and his doctor wants to keep him for a while. Abby's doing well, her injuries are healing rapidly. She's heading home in a couple of days. I could use some help down here though dad."

"Not a problem. I'm on my way right now actually. I'll be at the hospital in an hour. How's Ziva?"

"She's the worst. She's back in surgery but her doctor is confident that he'll be able to repair the rest of the damage that couldn't be repaired yesterday."

"Ziva's a fighter. If anyone can pull through, it's her."

"I know."

"Leroy, I can tell you're upset. I know you love the team but you need to look after yourself too."

"I can't leave Ziva. Not right now anyway. She needs me." Jackson could hear the sadness in Gibbs' voice and he knew that his son was crying.

"Ziva's tougher than anyone I know. She's amazing. I love her just like you do Leroy and I know that she's going to be okay. It's okay to be upset."

"Thanks dad."

Gibbs hung up his phone and went back into Tony's room. The young agent was trying to sit up. Gibbs hurried over to the bed and helped Tony into a sitting position, careful not to hurt him.

"Thanks Boss," said Tony.

"Don't thank me DiNozzo. There's no need. Now, my father is coming down to help out and he should be here in an hour. I want you to rest while I go and check on the others."

"Okay Boss."

Tony closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. Gibbs quietly shut the door behind him and went down to see McGee. He knew Ziva was still in surgery. Dr Smith had promised to find Gibbs when Ziva was back in her room.

"Hey Boss," said McGee. He put down the book he had been reading.

"Hi McGee," replied Gibbs as he pulled up a chair.

"How's Tony?"

"He's still out of it but at least he's awake. I've called Sarah to come and pick you up tomorrow. She'll be here around ten. You'll be off work for at least six weeks McGee so Sarah is going to take you back to her place. She'll help you get around until you get better."

"Thanks Boss. Can I see Ziva yet?"

"She's in surgery still. When her doctor says she's out, I'll take you up there. Maybe you can come with me to see Abby. Then you can visit Ziva when she gets back to her room."

"Sure, let's go then."

"Come on. Oh yeah, that reminds me. My dad is on the way down to help out, so if you need anything, let one of us know."

"Okay Boss."


	3. Chapter 3

"Gibbs!" exclaimed Abby. "Hey McGee."

"Hey Abbs," said Gibbs, giving her a hug at the same time.

"Hi Abby," said McGee.

"Gibbs, I heard that your dad is coming. Tony told me," said Abby. She held up her phone and smiled.

"Okay Abbs." Gibbs smiled back. Abby was so happy now. She had been on the verge of tears when he had told her about Ziva going back for more surgery.

A sudden beep made Gibbs look up. Dr Smith was wheeling Ziva past. Gibbs said goodbye to his agent and forensic tech before rushing after Ziva.

"Agent Gibbs, I was just about to come looking for you. Ziva made it through the surgery nicely. Her vitals are getting stronger, so hopefully she'll wake up this afternoon. You can see her if you like," said the doctor.

Gibbs thanked him and opened the door to Ziva's room. He was just about to enter when he heard someone calling him. He turned around to find his dad behind him. Gibbs waited for Jack to catch up and they walked into Ziva's room together.

Ziva looked the same as she had that morning but the machines were showing that she was getting better. Gibbs was still scared though and allowed himself to cry slightly. He knew that his father was in the room, but he didn't care. Jack would never poke fun at someone for crying.

"What happens if she doesn't wake up Dad?" asked Gibbs.

"She will. Ziva is stronger than anyone I know Leroy. If anyone can pull through, it's Ziva. She won't leave you. She once told me that you were like a father to her, one that actually cared anyway. She loves you, they all do. You are a family before a team. Ziva loves working with you. And she loves Tony. Nothing will keep them apart."

Gibbs smiled at his dad. He knew Jack was right about everything. He always was. But Gibbs wouldn't believe it until he saw Ziva wake up. She was his friend and he didn't want anything to happen to her.

"Leroy, look," said Jack, pointing at Ziva.

"What dad?" asked Gibbs.

"Ziva, look at her."

Gibbs looked up at Ziva and saw that she was starting to stir. He called out to the nurse outside the room and then returned his attention to his agent.

"Ziva, wake up honey," whispered Gibbs.

The nurse came running in and smiled when she saw Ziva open her eyes.

"Welcome back Ziva. My name is Ashleigh, but you can call me Ash if you want to. I'm going to take out the tube from your throat, so it may be a little painful. I'll fix any pain you have when I adjust the oxygen for you," said the nurse.

Ziva followed Ashleigh with her eyes and waited patiently for the tube to be removed. After a few minutes, Ziva sipped the water that Ashleigh offered her and then tried to move away from the nurse. Gibbs held her down gently and waited for the nurse to finish checking Ziva. He noticed that Ziva's eyes were darting back and forth between him, Jack and Ashleigh. She was scared and confused. Gibbs released Ziva and took her hand in his, gently squeezing it to reassure her.

"You're safe here Ziva. It's alright," whispered Gibbs. He saw Ziva relax slightly and felt her squeeze his hand.

Jack and Ashleigh left the room a minute later, leaving Gibbs with Ziva. Jack had told Gibbs before leaving that he would tell the others about Ziva. Gibbs thanked him and turned back to Ziva. She was the most important person in his life at that moment, and he wanted her to know that he was going to be there for her.

"Gibbs, I'm sorry," said Ziva quietly as tears poured down her face.

"For what Ziva?" asked Gibbs.

"I couldn't warn Tony. He didn't know that we were in danger but I did. I should have told him."

"That's not your fault Ziva. And don't apologise, it's a sign of weakness." Gibbs' smile made Ziva happy.

"Thank you Gibbs."

"No problem."

"You woke me up by the way."

"How?"

"You told me that I couldn't die, and that my family wouldn't want me to. You said that everyone here loves me. Is that last part true?"

"Yes. We do love you Ziva. You are the sweetest young woman in the world."

"No-one would agree with you on that."

"Once they get to know you, they will. You may act tough, but inside you are really just looking for someone to understand you, aren't you?"

Ziva gave Gibbs a small smile that conveyed her feelings and gratitude. Gibbs immediately understood.

"Do you want to see Tony, McGee and Abby?"

"Okay."

"I'll be back in a few minutes then. I'll send Abby and McGee in while I get Tony."

"Thank you Gibbs."

"Ziva, you're awake!" said Tony. He was excited.

Abby and McGee had just left, giving Tony and Ziva some private time with each other.

"I am. Are you okay?" asked Ziva. She sounded worried.

"Of course. I get to go home in three days. You got the short stick unfortunately. I wish I could turn back time and save everyone."

"But I should have warned you Tony. I saw him coming but I couldn't tell you quick enough."

"Well that's not your fault. It's his, he shouldn't have been speeding."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Ziva, Gibbs told me that you said that no-one would agree with him that you are a sweet girl. Of course you're sweet. And wonderful. I want to have you for the rest of my life. I love you Ziva," said Tony.

"I love you too Tony," replied Ziva.

"So why are you so self-conscious?"

"I don't know Tony. It's probably cause my father always told me that I was no good and that no-one would ever love me. He was right. Nobody has ever loved me before. Only you have Tony."

"Gibbs loves you too Ziva."

"I know. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky as to be able to work with you. When my father sent me here, it was originally to spy on Gibbs. I never really understood what my father wanted from me, but I really loved being around everyone here. So when my father told me that I had to come back to Israel, I asked Gibbs to stop my dad. I had to tell him everything but that was a small price to pay for being able to stay here."

"Did you ever actually spy on him?"

"No. I loved Gibbs from the minute I met him. I couldn't break his trust Tony."

"Good. I'm glad you stayed."

"I should've told you ages ago Tony. I've loved you from the minute I stepped foot in NCIS when I was trying to stop Gibbs from killing Ari."

"It's like we knew it all along but were too scared and embarrassed to tell each other."

Tony and Ziva laughed at their stupidity. When the doctor entered the room a few minutes later, he was surprised to see how well Ziva was looking. It seemed as though Tony was going to be the perfect solution for helping Ziva heal.


	5. Chapter 5

"Good morning Ziva. How are you feeling today?" asked Dr Smith.

Ziva was still sleepy. She had fallen asleep late the previous evening. Tony hadn't wanted to leave his new girlfriend and it had taken Dr Pitt and Dr Smith's intervention to separate the two agents. That was around midnight.

"I'm tired," replied Ziva.

"Gee, I wonder why that is?"

"Tony's funny. Can I go and visit him?"

"Not yet. I'll see if Dr Pitt will bring him down again. You need to rest so you can heal. Unless you don't want to go home."

"I want to go home. But I want Tony too."

Dr Smith laughed. He had never had a patient as determined as Ziva before. She was still surprising him. Her vitals were getting stronger each time he checked her and she was always wearing a smile.

A knock on the door made both Ziva and the doctor look up. Tony was standing there with Gibbs, Abby, McGee and Jack.

"Come in guys. I'm done," said Dr Smith.

The group entered the room and settled themselves around Ziva. Tony was evidently tired like Ziva, but he was trying to hide it.

"There's a spot here that I reserved for you Tony," said Ziva shyly.

"Thank you sweetie."

"Ziva, I just want to say goodbye. I'll come and visit you in a few days cause Sarah's here and I need to get down to her. Please get better soon," said McGee sadly as he walked to the door.

"Wait a minute McGee. At least give me a hug," complained Ziva with a smile on her face.

McGee hobbled over to Ziva with Abby's help and hugged her before Abby helped her friend down to the hospital entrance. Ziva put her onto Tony's chest and closed her eyes against pain that was setting in.

* * *

Gibbs was sitting in the ICU waiting room reading a magazine when he heard a beeping coming from one of the rooms in front of him. He looked up to see two nurses running into Ziva's room. Gibbs immediately shot up and ran to his agent's room. He found the nurses trying to resuscitate Ziva and suddenly felt dizzy. Gibbs dropped to the floor as a new wave of worry and fear rushed over him. He could feel tears burning his eyes as he watched the nurses work on Ziva.

It wasn't long before the nurses had stabilised Ziva but he was scared that she wouldn't make it this time. She had been doing well for the last two days since she had woken up and Gibbs had been looking forward to taking her back to his place so she could complete her recovery there. It didn't look like that was going to be a possibility now though.

"Agent Gibbs?" asked one of the nurses as they saw him on the floor in the doorway. "Are you alright?"

Gibbs looked up at the nurse and told her that he was just shocked at the turn of events. He was well known in the ICU because he had barely left since the day of the accident. He had met some really nice nurses that were always checking on Ziva, and Abby until she had left the previous day, and that were always bringing him things that he could use.

"Is Ziva okay?"

"It looks like she's relapsed. I'll get Doctor Smith to check her in the morning."

"Okay, thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs was debating with himself as to whether or not he should call his father and ask him to come down to the hospital. Jack was at Gibbs' house looking after Tony and Abby while they continued to recover. Abby was going home that afternoon with her newly found brother, Kyle. He was going to take her to his house first and introduce her to his wife and pets. Abby was really excited and was counting down the time. Tony was going to be at Gibbs' house for another few days since it was closer to the hospital than his apartment was and it made it easier for Tony to go to appointments. McGee had been at his sister's house for almost a week now and was healing quite well. Dr Smith had told him the day before that he would be able to go back to work in three weeks instead of six on desk duty.

Gibbs was pulling out his phone to call Jack when Dr Smith came up to him. Gibbs looked up when he noticed the doctor and hoped that he was going to get some good news.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm sorry to tell you but it's not good news. Ziva has indeed relapsed. Her heart was under far too much stress and it couldn't cope any longer. She is stable, but we're going to have to go back to surgery and try to relieve as much of the pressure in her chest as possible."

"Do it. Please save her."

The doctor looked at Gibbs and saw that his eyes were full of anguish. He could see that the agent was sad and scared too.

"Of course. If we can relieve the pressure, then she'll be alright. But we do need to keep an eye on her even after she recovers."

Gibbs thanked the doctor for his trouble and then set off to find some coffee. He had decided to call his father and tell him what had happened, but he was exhausted and needed to keep himself awake first.

* * *

Jack walked into the hospital with Tony and they headed straight to the fifth floor for Tony's appointment. Jack was waiting for Gibbs to call him and tell him whether or not Ziva would be coming home that day. They had decided that they would keep in touch each day and fill each other in on what was going on. Jack was just about to head into the waiting room to wait for Tony when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and immediately answered.

"Leroy, it's about time. I was getting worried," said Jack.

"Ziva's relapsed dad. She's going back to surgery right now."

Jack could tell that his son was crying and he immediately wanted to comfort him.

"Leroy, I'll be done as soon as Tony's finished with his doctor. Do you want me to tell McGee and Abby?"

"No. They're both busy. I can tell them another day. I need to focus on Ziva dad, but what if she doesn't wake up this time?"

"Don't think like that son, she'll wake up. Ziva's tough. Just put Tony there and I'm sure that she'll be fine. She seems to respond to him more than anyone else."

"You're right. Thanks dad."

"Bye Leroy. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

Jack closed his phone and sat down just as Tony came out with a smile on his face.

"What are you smiling about Tony?" asked Jack.

"I can go back to work tomorrow. That means I can go back to my apartment and you can stop looking after us. Well, at least until Ziva comes home anyway. Can we go see her?" asked Tony eagerly.

"No. Sorry Tony, but Ziva relapsed last night. She's back in surgery."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Come on, we'll go visit with Leroy for a while. Maybe Ziva will be back in her room soon."

Tony nodded and then followed Jack to the elevator. He was quiet all the way down to the first floor before he decided that he was going to find out how Ziva had gotten worse.

* * *

Gibbs stood up when his dad came into view. He couldn't see Tony, but his mind wouldn't let him worry until Ziva was well again. No matter how hard Gibbs tried to think of all the positive things that had happened, he couldn't shift his focus. Ziva was getting his undivided attention now matter what.

"Stay there Leroy," said Jack quietly.

"Where's Tony?" asked Gibbs.

"Talking to the nurse. He wants to know how Ziva relapsed."

Gibbs nodded his understanding and then put his head in his hands. He had called Vance and told him about Ziva. Vance had then told him that the guy responsible for the accident was in custody and that Metro PD was happy to let Gibbs interrogate him first. Gibbs had told Vance that he would do just that as soon as he had spoken with his father.

"Dad, the idiot that caused this crash is in custody. I'm going to interrogate him. Can you stay here and look after Ziva until I get back?" asked Gibbs.

"Sure. Tell him off for me," answered Jack.

"Tell him off for me too boss."

Gibbs turned around at the sound of his senior agent's voice.

"I will guys."

Gibbs left the two of them alone as he headed to the elevator.


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs slammed the door behind him, making the guy sitting at the desk jump. Satisfied for now, Gibbs sat down opposite the guy, who he had just found out was named Derek, and started to tell him off.

"If my agent dies, you'll be up for murder! If she is disabled in any way, you'll regret the day you were born!" shouted Gibbs.

Derek just stared at Gibbs in fear. He didn't doubt for one second that this man would go through with his threats and he was terrified.

"Agent David has her whole life ahead of her!" continued Gibbs. "You better not have ruined it!"

Gibbs was so angry at Derek and all he really wanted to do was hit him until he was hurt as much as Ziva was. The only thing that stopped him was his ringing phone. Gibbs picked it up to see that his dad was calling. Walking outside, Gibbs answered the phone and was relieved to hear that the doctor had been successful in saving Ziva's life.

"She's back with the living Leroy and she wants you. The nurses don't want her to have visitors yet but none of them can say no to her."

"Thanks dad. Tell her I'm coming right now."

Gibbs hung up and ran to his car. He was at the hospital in fifteen minutes.

* * *

Gibbs ran through the hallways and up the stairs. He didn't want to wait for the elevator. He wanted to get to his young agent before anything else happened to her. When he got to the ICU, Gibbs sighed as he saw Jack coming out of Ziva's room.

"Can I go in there dad?"

"Of course you can. But only you are allowed until the nurses feel that she's up to visitors."

Gibbs nodded and walked into Ziva's room. She was awake but he could see how tired she was. He sat down in the chair that he had left next to the bed the night before.

"Hey Ziva. Are you feeling okay?" asked Gibbs.

"Gibbs, I'm so glad you came," replied Ziva in a whisper.

"Of course I came. I won't leave you again, I promise."

Ziva smiled at her boss. She always felt the safest when he was around and she knew that she could tell him anything. He cared about her a lot too.

"I want to go home Gibbs."

"As soon as the doctor says you can, I'll take you home. You're going to stay with me until you can go back to work."

"You don't have to do that Gibbs."

"I'll even get Tony to sleep at my house while you're there if it makes you more comfortable."

"Yes please Gibbs. Thank you."

Gibbs stood up to gently hug his agent, being careful not to hurt her in the process.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been almost a week since Ziva had relapsed and she had continued to get stronger ever since that surgery. Her doctor was happy to send her home as long as she didn't go to work and she rested as much as possible. When Gibbs had come by that morning, Ziva had excitedly told him what the doctor had said and Gibbs had promised to return the next day to pick her up. He had also organised for Tony to stay over and spend the days with Ziva so that she wouldn't be lonely while he and McGee were at work. Jack had promised to stay a few more days to help Ziva get around at home since she only had to wait three days before she was allowed to return to work on desk duty.

This had originally annoyed Ziva since she knew that McGee was still on desk duty for another week and a half. She felt bad for making Tony and Gibbs do all the field work on their own, but she also knew that she didn't have a choice. She was just glad to be able to go back to work. While Ziva had been thinking, Doctor Smith had come in with the release forms for Ziva to sign. She happily agreed to come back in two days for a checkup.

* * *

"Are you ready to go Ziva?" asked Gibbs.

"Of course I am. Let's go!" exclaimed Ziva excitedly.

Gibbs helped her to the car and drove to his house. Tony was already there, waiting for his new girlfriend to get there so they could watch a movie together. He had picked out one that he knew she would like, since it had Johnny Depp in it and he knew that she loved the guy.

"Is Tony at your house?"

"Yes. He wants to watch a movie with you. He said that you'll like the lead actor."

"Who is it?" Ziva's eyes lit up at the thought of spending more time with Tony.

"I don't know. Tony wants to surprise you."

"Ooh, I can't wait to find out."

Gibbs smiled at his friend and then looked back at the road. He was just pulling into the driveways when his phone rang. The caller ID said that it was Vance on other end of the phone so Gibbs answered it as he collected Ziva's bags and headed into the house behind her.

Once inside the house, Ziva turned around to look for her boss. He was on the phone still and put her bags down on the floor next to a coffee table.

"Ziva!" exclaimed Tony. He pulled her into a gentle hug as she smiled happily.

Ziva melted into the hug and only pulled away when Gibbs called her.

"Ziva, I have to go into the office. My dad's here as well as Tony if you need anything at all. Don't be afraid to ask them for help if you need it. I'll get my dad to take your bags upstairs. You'll be using Kelly's room since it's full of stuffed toys and I know you love them."

"Okay, thanks Gibbs."

Ziva wandered off to the lounge room once Gibbs had headed into the kitchen. She was happy that she was safe and that everyone cared about her, but she felt like she was being a burden to everyone. She wanted to go back to her apartment and look after herself so that everyone could move on with their lives. She had always looked after herself so being injured and alone was nothing new. She knew that she could look after herself and get better, but she was scared to tell Gibbs. She didn't want him to worry anymore.

"What's up Ziva?" asked Gibbs as he walked through the lounge room.

"Oh, nothing Gibbs. I was just thinking."

"Don't lie to me Ziva."

"It's...nothing. It doesn't matter. I can't do it anyway."

"Do what?"

"I want to go home Gibbs," sighed Ziva.

"I know you do sweetie but it's only for three days Ziva. It'll fly by. I promise."

Ziva gave her boss a smile and then curled up on the couch next to Tony, resting her head on his chest. Tony put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a one armed hug. He knew that she was feeling like a burden, and he also knew that Gibbs and Jack were loving the fact that they had to look after her. Tony was determined to make Ziva see that she wasn't a burden, and he had a really good idea of how to do just that.


	9. Chapter 9

"Good morning Ziva," said Tony as he exited the spare room that was across from Kelly's room.

Ziva looked up and smiled at her boyfriend. He looked so cute in the mornings and it made Ziva's heart melt.

"Good morning," replied Ziva.

Tony yawned and then pulled Ziva into a hug. They quickly let go of each other, however, when they heard their boss' voice.

"At least move out of the way if you want to hug each other," said an amused Gibbs.

"Sorry boss," said Tony.

"That's okay. It's nice to have some cheer in this house for once. Abby apologised for not showing up yesterday, but said she's on her way over now."

"Alright. Boss, I want to take Ziva out later, is that okay?"

"Sure. Just make sure she stays safe. I don't want to see her back in hospital."

"Okay. She'll be fine boss, I promise."

A doorbell sounded somewhere downstairs and the three agents heard Abby's voice floating up the stairs. Jack answered her and their voices disappeared as they moved towards the kitchen.

"We better get downstairs I think," said Gibbs.

Ziva and Tony agreed and followed their boss to the kitchen. Abby jumped out of her chair and immediately enveloped Ziva in a bear hug, causing Ziva to lose her balance. Ziva laughed and returned Abby's hug, then the girls joined everyone else at the table for breakfast.

* * *

"And he owns a pet shop. I can take you there if you want Ziva," Abby finished telling them about her new brother.

"That sounds great Abbs. I'd love to go. But you have to tell Gibbs first."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Abby headed for the basement, where Gibbs was working on a new project.

* * *

"What's up Abbs?" asked Gibbs.

"Can I take Ziva to Kyle's shop?" asked Abby.

"If she wants to go."

"Cool, see you later boss-man."

Abby headed up the stairs and back into the kitchen, where Ziva was waiting for her.

"What did he say Abby?" asked Ziva.

"We can go. If you get ready quickly, I can take you now and we can play with the animals for a little while before he opens the store."

"Okay." Ziva practically ran up the stairs and into the bedroom she was currently occupying.

* * *

**A.N.: This is it. If anyone wants a sequel, please let me know and I'll write one. Thanks for the reviews! :)**


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